New Synology DS1618+ 6-Bay NAS for £650+, Specs and Details Released

The Synology DS1618+ NAS – Everything you need to know

Last month we uncovered a new Synology 6-Bay, the DS1618+ diskstation, and it is the second 6-Bay NAS to feature in the 2018 range of devices (indeed, only the DS1618+ and DS3018xs 6-bays have ever released in this size). Sitting neatly in their product line up between the Synology DS1517+ and DS1817+, this NAS features very similar hardware options, yet a different CPU and revised memory. I always wondered why Synology had not entered into the 6 HDD/SSD arena of NAS sooner, as it has always been a sweet spot for companies like QNAP and Asustor NAS, given that it is a middle ground of both storage and hardware at a price point that is attractive. In fact, at £650+ without the VAT, it slots very neatly along the line up of the 4-Bay DS918+ and the 5/8 Bay devices mentioned. Will this alternate Intel Atom-based NAS with DDR4 memory mean a new line up of 5-Bay and 8-Bay (a DS1818+ or DS1819+ NAS perhaps?) – I cannot say, but never the less the specifications and hardware below are more than enough for a business seeking a robust file server or the photographer looking to centralize their data and open up the possibility of 10GBe one day. Take a look:

Why the Synology DS1618+ NAS a Reliable and Scalable Storage Server

Synology DS1618+ is a 6-bay network attached storage solution with great performance and scalability. DS1618+ supports up to 16 drives with two Synology DX517 expansion units, allowing you to start small and easily scale up on demand. In addition to 10GbE add-on card, which can upgrade the network capacity of DS1618+, the PCle slot also supports the optional SATA M.2 SSD adapter card to function as SSD cache for greatly enhancing storage performance without using the 3.5″ drive bays. DS1618+ is equipped with a quad-core processor and 4GB DDR4 memory (expandable up to 32GB). With Link Aggregation enabled, DS1618+ delivers outstanding sequential throughput performance at over 1,550 MB/s reading and 580 MB/s writing.

Btrfs and the Synology DS1618+ NAS

DS1618+ introduces the Btrfs file system, bringing the most advanced storage technologies to meet the management needs of modern businesses. Featuring built-in data integrity check detects data and file system corruption with data and meta-data checksums and improves the overall stability. A Flexible Shared Folder/User Quota System provides comprehensive quota control over all user accounts and shared folders.

The DS1618+ NAS also supports advanced snapshot technology with customizable backup schedule allows up to 1,024 copies of shared folder backups in a minimum 5-minute interval without occupying huge storage capacity and system resources. Additionally, the Synology DS1618+ has file or folder level data restoration brings huge conveniences and saves time for users who wish to restore only a specific file or folder. This is further bolstered by file self-healing: Btrfs file system can auto-detect corrupted files with mirrored metadata, and recover broken data using the supported RAID volumes, which include RAID1, 5, 6, and 10.

Cross-platform File Sharing between Mac and Windows on the Synology DS1618+ NAS

What Makes the Synology DS1618+ NAS the Ideal Backup Solution

DS1618+ integrates various backup applications to safeguard your important data on any device with an intuitive user interface and durable storage technologies.

Desktop to NAS backup Options

Cloud Station Backup safeguards your PC, Mac, or other desktop devices. DS1618+ is also compatible with Time Machine, allowing you to effortlessly backup your Mac to Synology NAS

NAS backup

Hyper Backup comprehensively backs up your data to a local shared folder, an external device, another Synology NAS, an rsync server, a public cloud service, or C2 Backup to ensure data safety

Server backup

Active Backup for Server provides an agentless backup solution. It centralizes data from Windows and Linux servers through SMB and rsync to effectively minimize deployment and management costs.

Multi-level backup

Active Backup for Office 365/G Suite is an on-premise backup solution for public clouds with a centralized dashboard. Optimize storage efficiency with single instancing and block-level deduplication technology.

Using the Synology DS1618+ NAS as your Virtualization Environment

Synology’s Virtual Machine Manager adds unlimited capabilities to your NAS. Set up and run various virtual machines, including Windows, Linux, and Virtual DSM so that you can test new software versions in a sandbox environment, isolate your customers’ machines, and increase the flexibility of your DS1618+ with reduced hardware deployment and maintenance costs. Synology iSCSI storage fully supports most virtualization solutions to enhance work efficiency with a simple management interface. VMware vSphere™ 6.5 and VAAI integration helps offload storage operations and optimizes computation efficiency. Windows Offloaded Data Transfer (ODX) speeds up data transfer and migration rates, while OpenStack Cinder support turns your Synology NAS into a block-based storage component.

System reliability is of paramount importance to businesses which depend upon their commercial servers every day. DS1618+ responds to these concerns with wide-ranging availability and redundancy features. First, you there is the Synology High Availability Manager ensuring a seamless transitioning between clustered servers with minimal impact to applications, preventing unexpected interruptions and costly downtime. Next, you have balanced redundant system fans and network ports with failover support ensure maximum continuous service uptime. High-reliability system design including fan-less CPU heat-sink and passive cooling technology, preventing single points of failure. Lastly, the 3 year warranty can be extended to 5 years with the purchase of an optional extended warranty package.

What are the Hardware and Software Specs of the Synology DS1618+ NAS

Although the chassis and bays of the Synology DS1618+ appear very similar to that of the DS3018xs, the internal hardware is much different to that and stylised on those of the DS1517+ and DS1817+, however, it is considerably better in a number of ways. They are:

Where can I buy the Synology DS1618+ NAS and how much is it?

The stock is incoming on the Synology DS1618+ NAS and currently is priced at £652 ex.VAT. Once again, below is all the confirmed information on this NAS. Demand is expected to be high, so maybe get your order in early:

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When I originally heard the announcement about the DS1618+ model, I was hoping this would be THE replacement for my current synology NAS…

However, on reading the specs, it’s disappointing and strange that the DS1618+ was released with the Intel Atom C3538 (Denverton) CPU rather than one that includes an integrated GPU supporting Intel QuickSync – The DS1618+ is therefore unable to perform hardware video transcoding like its DS918+ sibling!

Also, it would have been great to see the DS1618+ having inbuilt slots for M.2 SSD (also like the DS918+!) rather than having to choose between either M.2 / 10GbE via a single expansion card slot…

Not sure why Synology didn’t build on the success of their DS918+ and look at announcing a 5/6/8 bay NAS which includes an Intel CPU supporting QuickSync hardware video transcoding (the latest Intel Gemini Lake CPUs or better!), inbuilt M.2 slots and include 10GbE support (either, preferably out of the box, or via expansion slot)! If they had, this would surely have been an easy upgrade decision (for me at least!)… Here’s hoping they will announce a new model ticking all these boxes soon!

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